Magazine for automatic shotguns



Aug. 30, 1932- J. I FRANK MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC SHOTGUNS Filed March 20, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet mm NM Fllllllllll lnll INVEN TOR.

A TTORN E Y.

Aug. 30, 1932. J. l. FRANK MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC sao'reuus 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 20, 1951 INVENTOR. JJQM ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 30, 1932 ,fUNITED STATES PATENT QFFEQE JOHN IRA FRANK, OE BALTIMORE, MARYLAIVD, ASSIGN'OR F ONE-HALE TO THEODORE i a l W. SMITH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND v MAGAZINE FOR AUTOMATIC SHOTGUNS Application fi led March 20, 1931. Serial No. 524,166.

My invention relates to improvements in magazines for automatic shot-guns in which the recoil following the explosion of the shell is utilized toeffect an operation of the breech mechanism; p i

' v, Guns of this class employ a spring-actuated shell-carrier at the inner end of the barrel and the magazine-tube, in which latter the shells are stored, andthe shells are fed rearwardly by a spring in the magazine-tube and in reverse order from that in which they were loaded into the tube,-the feeding of the shells in succession taking place after each firing operation. r

The shell-carrier is located at an opening ing-th'e loading ofthe magazine, this shellcarrier must be sprung inwardly by the "fingersof the operatoraseach shell is pushed through the opening past the carrier and into "the'inner end of the magazine-tube.

To either load or unload the magazine-tube the shell-carrier must be pressed inwardly and this operation frequently results in the 2 operator cutting hisffingers, or if wearing gloves, getting the fingers of the gloves cau ht in the carrier mechanism;

oreover, loading orunloading shells at the breech into or from the magazine-tube is accompanied by more or less liability of accidentally firing the gun and'is also a slow process.

' In practically all of the well-known shotguns now in extensive use, the shellcarrier is of a forked shape and the end of the fork frequently bruises and scrapes the outer surface 0f the -shell during the loading operation.

This shell-surface is waterproofed because in rainy weather the shells sometimes get wet and if they get wet at'the bruised or scraped 'places the moisture will work into the fiber andcause the shell to swell in the magazineto such extent that it cannot be fed therethro-ugh and great difliculty is experienced in remov- "45 ing it.

, By means of my invention the shells are loaded into the gun in such a way that damage if to the shell by the forked carrier will not take place and the difliculty above pointed out is avoided.

'inthe under side of the gun frame, anddur- One object therefore of the presentinvention is to provide an improved magazine structure for shot-guns of the class referred to by which the shell-carrier neednot be taken into consideration by the operator either for loading or unloading purposes, for the reason that themagazine-tube may be loaded or unloaded at the outer end thereof and at a point remote from the shell-carrier.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved magazine structure for automatic shot-guns whereby the shells may be dropped into place inthe outer end of the magazine without contending with spring pressure each time a shell is inserted therein.

A still further object isto provide an improved magazine structure, including outer and inner tubes,-the outer end of the outer tube having an opening, remote from the breech, for the loading or unloading of shells to and from the magazine, and a spring-operated follower that may be withdrawn'to a point beyond the outer end of said opening whereby the shells may he slipped into or run from the outer end of the magazine without manipulating a shell-carrier or pumping the shells from the magazine one at a time, and

An additional object is to provide an im proved magazine structure which may readily be attached to many of the well-known shotguns now in use without alteration to their mechanisms.

With the above, and other objects in View the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,'

F ig. 1 shows a shot-gun in side elevation 'with myimproved magazine structure 'attached thereto.

Fig. 2 illustrates the intermediate portion of the gun on an enlarged scale with a portion thereof in section and with my improved device attached to the outer end of the magazine-tube.

Fig. 3 shows the magazine-tube in longitudinal section with my improved device attached to the outer end thereof.

Fig. 4 illustratesmy improved attachment withdrawn from the outer end of the magazine tubeto permitloading or unloading of the shells to or from the same.

' section, and

Fig. 6 illustrates the invention in a slightly modified form with the side shell-opening formed in the magazine-tube itself. H

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the butt-stock of the gun; ll the barrel"; '12 the receiver; 13 the forearm and 14 the magazine tube.

The shell-carrier 15 isclocated in the" re:

ceiver 12 and is pivoted" at 16 so itmay be moved upwardly duringthe feedingotthe shell to the innerv or breech-end of the barrelsfrioinzthe magazine :tube in the old way,

"aIIGlLI propose to leave this; carrier it is h'utload and unloadthe-niagazine tube 14:

Theuusual recoil spring -17 is carried around tlre magazine-tube and :the latter, is not disturbed by my attachment with the ex- Y ception oftheremovalrof the usual cap that A'long one side provided :with v longitudinal I opening .23 o afsize that will perm'it the free passage ofa shell37. 1

screws onto theth'read 18 at the outer :end -o:f :tli'e.magaz ineitirbe and by the withdrawal ofthe ordinary follower springirom the said Theginner end I of the magazine tube teri'minates 1m xthe receiveri 111" front of; the free endof the. shelhcarrier: 15 while the outer end". of i said magazine-tube: jis: externally screW threaded as at 18-.

. One embodiment otm-y improvement :is illustrated ina Figs. 3; net and 5,; wherein :I

's'howa tuhularzretainer: 1:9, one'end 2-0 of -which is internally "threaded iso' as' to: screw onto thenthrea'ds '18 at the outer end of the .magazine-tube: This=itubular retainer has a contracted outer end which produces an ;an- Y nular interior 1' stop-shoulder 21 around its 'endtzopening 22 forralp-urpose that wilhpres ently:be explained. c a

the; tubulararetainer is To the tubular retainer I connect one end 0f a :spring actuated' I follower: whose func- Y tion is to press the shells'rearwardlyin the 5 magazine tuhe-1 t so Vasto feed them Y1 successive'ly to the shellecarrier fortransterfto the firing position :invt'the 1 receiver the usual manner. The means for efl ectingizthis transand theretore is not illustrated hereinsl i Y I prefer .tofo rmthe sliell zfol'loiweror teed vdevice off a plurality of telescopic sections, 7 and while the number of sections may-vary, lash-ow. :in. .the-rpresent'disclosure a "series of four' ots such sections which are designated 24. 25,26 and i2'Zrespect-ively. Y

' -T he outermost follower'section'24, as best shown 5 is 'the'smallest iirdiameter' anrl'is attached to andavprojects froma boltcasmg 28 attheinner-si'de of an endpfcap29 which closes the outer end of the retainer 19. This cap has a pair of bolts 30 at its inner side so they may engage the inturned stop shoulder 21 around the end opening 22 of the tubular retainer 19 and thereby detachably connect the follower to the outer end-of the said tubular retainerJ The cap'29isof such size withrespect to the endopemng 22 of the tubular retainer that while it maybe partly inserted in said opening so as to en'- gage the end of the follower-section 2%, it

will not pass inwardly through said opening 22. The'Tliameterof said opening 22 is such .that.not}only may thecap be disengaged from thes top shoulder 21' and then drawn out, but

thefollower tube 214 and thesu'cCeeding follojwjer tub es-2 5; 2.6, and 2T may allbe drawn outwardly through said pplening 22 up to a be telescopically connected 7 V.

The-{innermost follower section'27ds the largest: indiameter; and near its inneryend i provide the same with an exterior annular be'ad 32 iwhichlforms a stop toijeng-age' the inturnedi stopsh oulder 21 around the for- V :ward end-opening 22 of. the tubular retainer =l9-when the telescopic; fol-lower is;drawn torjward iromthe niagazine-tubeand also from V the said retainer 1'9-to bring thelon-gitudinal opening 23' of-the retainerinto direct com- -municat-ionv with the 7 magazine tube' and permit loadng onunloading :of shells-to or from the magazine tube behi-nd h innellendiof B'y; therefore providing the annular bead H thedrawn-out followen: Y

32 on the innermost-follower section,VI; prevent entire withdrawal o-fi thefollower device .but' allow gait to be sufficiently Withdrawn to Y uncover the longitudinal shell-opening 23 is iii-the. retainer. 7 I Y Y The rear end of innermost followersection 27 is closed by a detachable cap;33.-,

A long coiledspring 34; isinserted in the several follower-sections with its outer end seated againstfthei outer? detachable map 1 29 and its inner end seatedjagainst the inner cap 33'. fer operation "forms no .part'ioflmy invention Thisspring 34Csimply collapses asthe sectionstelescopical-ly slide onceach other when i restoring the follower in the retainer as the a magazine is'being filled, and said spring obviously will expand each time a shell is re-v moved from: the inner ends-of the magazine l a shell 37 may bepassed through the slot to It will also be noted that when loading the shells into the magazine there is no spring to resist the feeding of the shells into place, for at this time, the follower sections will be drawn out and the spring in the followersections will be in its fully-expanded condition and beyond the shell feed-opening. Thus loading is simple and unhampered. In unloading, the operation is just as simple, for when the shell-opening 23 is uncovered, the shells may be poured from the front end of the magazine and no pumping operation or spring-pressed shells have to be contendedwith. 1

It will further be noted that by means of my attachment the ordinary magazine is ex- 3 tended and an additional shell may be stored in the same gun.

Furthermore, the device is readily attachable to guns now in use and as being manufactured, without alteration of any kind to the gun structure.

In Fig. 6 the invention is shown as applied to the magazine tube itself in that the outer end of the said tube 14 has a longitudinal shell-opening 35 formed directly therein instead of in a retainer at the outer end thereof.

In this modified form I also provide a slot 36 in the under side of the forearm 13 so that the shell-opening 35 when the follower 38 is drawn out sufiiciently to uncover that opening 35, and the shells may thus be inserted orwithdrawn with respect to the magazine tube. 1'

. Also in this modified form, I show the follower 38 as carried in a tube 39 which may be slid into or withdrawn from the magazine tube 14, and this inner tube is of such diameter as to receive the previously-inserted shells as it is moved rearwardly into the loaded magazine tube,-the tube 39 simply passes around the shells as it moves back to the fullyinserted position.

Also in this form, the outer end of the inner tube 39 will carry a cap which will engage the threads 18 on the outer end of the magazine tube.

I claim,-- 1. In an automatic shot gun the combina tion with a barrel, of a magazine tube extending along the side of the barrel, a tubular retainer at the outer end of the magazine tube and having a longitudinal shell opening in its wall, a sectional follower attached to the retainer and extensible on the interior of the magazine tube and means for withdrawing the follower outwardly from one end of the retainer to uncover the longitudinal retainer opening to permit the entrance of shells into the magazine tube.

2.. In an automatic shot-gun the combination with a barrel, of a magazine tube ex tending along the side of the barrel, a tubular retainer detachably connected to the outer rier and alongthe barrel saidmagazineliav ing a longitudinal opening adjacent the outer end of the forearm for the passage of shells to and from the magazine for loading and unloading the latter adjacent said forearmend and remote from the shell-carrier and yielding telescoping means for feeding the shells rearwardly to the shell-carrier in the same order in which they were loaded through the said longitudinal opening into the magazine.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN IRA FRANK. 

